Mail-bag receiving and delivering apparatus.



M. N. GEORGE.

MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 11017.14, 1912.

Patented 'Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH cq., WASHINGTON, n. c.

M. N. GEORGE.

MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1912.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5mm ejL/K Gearye,

COLUMBIA PLANOGIZAFH co.,wAsmNm'oN, n c.

MARION N. GEORGE, OF IRONDALE, ALABAMA,

MAIL-BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4,1913.

Application filed November 14, 1912. Serial No. 731,443.

To all 107mm itma z concern:

Be it known that 1. Maroon N. GEORGE, av citizen of the United States, residing at Irondale, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Receiving and Delivering Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appeirtains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus for railway cars and consists in the combinations and arrangements of elements herein disclosed and particularly set forth in the claims.

The invention has for its purpose to provide a combination delivering and receiving apparatus adapted to be set by the mail clerk and thereafter automatically operable to receive and deliver the mail whereby to avoid the usual dangers and inconveniences attending the present method of receiving and delivering the mail on passing trains.

The invention has for its further purpose to provide a construction having means whereby the delivered times fall in substantially the same place, '2'. 0.. at the foot of the mail crane, to the end that the possibility of the bag being drawn under the train by suction is avoided; and for serving as a signal for indicating the area of danger to persons standing nearby.

In the construction of apparatus, the invention employs that type of mail receiver disclosed in my U. S. Patent rial-1.019.629, dated March 5. 1912. and for a detail clescription of which reference may be had thereto.

\Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the-claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views :-Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the complete apparatus; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the mail crane omitted andshowingthe mail car receiving and delivering devices in operative position; and Fig; 3 is an end elevational view of the mail bag will at all apparatus carried by the car taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

. Referring to the construction in detail. 1 indicates the car, within the door opening 2 of which is mounted the mail receiving and delivering devices adapted to be automatically actuated through the medium of a raised track 3, that is engaged by a roller 4: ]Oll1111l0(l in the lower end of the bar that is carried by the car.

The bar 5 is mounted to have vertical movement in a pair of cleats G secured to the side of the car immediately adjacent the door opening 2; and said bar 5 has connected therewith at its upper end a rod 7. which slides through an opening formed in a cleat S likewise secured to the side of the car, as shown in Fig. 3; and an arm 9 is connected to the rod 7 through the medium of a collar 10 through which the rod 7 passes. The arm 9 has pivotal connection with the collar 10, and at its upper end is pivotally connected to the crank arm 11 formed on the end of the beam 12 of the mail bag receiving device.

The beam 12 has crank arms 13 journaled in bearing blocks 14 and 15 secured to the side of the car at the upper portion of the side opening thereof. Said beam is provided with a slot or recess within which is fulcrumed the catcher arm 16, which. through the medium of a trigger 17 like wise fulcrumed on the beam 12, holds said catcher arm in position for engaging with the mail bag. A spring 18 secured to the end 19 of the catcher arm, and the crank end 13 of the beam normally tends to hold the catcher arm against the trigger 17 and operates to close said catcher arm when said trigger is released. The trigger 17 is provided with an extension 20 for setting the same to engage the catcher arm 16.

The mail bag delivery device consists of a pan or tray 21 pivotally mounted on a shaft or pins 22, journaled in lugs 23 on the floor of the car immediately adjacent the side opening 2. Said tray is adapted to swing within the are indicated by the broken line n 3, determined by the outer side of the car, to the end that it will not project beyond said opening of the car and form an obstruction, as will b'eundersto'od. i

The tray 21 is adapted to hold a ma bag and is at all times within the plane ready for delivery when the bar 5 is actuated, to which end a lever 24 is fulcrumed on the car by the pin 25 that engages within a slot 26 formed in said lever. The lever is pivotally connected at 27 to the bar 5, and has the opposite end 28 connected by a chain 29 to the front edge 30 of the tray after substantially that manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3. V

The spring 31 is mounted on the rod 7 and seats against the collar 10 and the end 82 of the bar 5. The purpose of said spring is to hold the beam in proper position so the catcher arm 16 may engage the mail bag when the roadbed causes the car to lean. Ordinarily, that is when the car does not lean, said spring will act against the collar 10, when the bar 5 is lifted, and hold the catcher arm 16 in the right position. i stop 33 is secured to the side of the car just above the collar 10, and has for its purpose to engage with said collar to limit the upward movement thereof which deter-' mines the proper position for raising the catcher arm 16. A nut 33 on the upper end of the rod 7 is adapted to engage with the member 8 and determine the downward movement of the beam.

The bar 5 is adapted to be automatically lifted through the medium of the car by the raised track 3, which is suitably mounted on the supports 34:, that are in turn mounted in any appropriate manner on the cross ties 35 of the rails 86. The raised track 3 is constructed with downwardly inclined end sections 37, whereby the roller 4 of the bar 5 may engage therewith and cause said bar to be raised, as will be understood. And the extent of the intermediate or level track section 3 will hold said bar 5 raised in the proper position for the required period of time, 2 (2., for holding the catcher arm to engage a mail bag held by the arm of the crane 38 and tilt the tray 21 on its pivots for dumping the mail bag at the foot of the crane.

In addition to its function for actuating the bar 5, the raised track section, together with its supporting members 84, serves as a fence or guard for preventing the mail bag delivered at the foot of the crane from being drawn under the car by the suction which is usually caused.

lVith the apparatus constructed as disclosed herein, it will be readily seen that mail bags may be simultaneously delivered from and received into a passing car, and that the stationary and receiving apparatus, 71. 6., the device mounted on the ground may be located at such a distance from the tracks as to remove the liability of danger to the trainmen, which is now one of the worst faults of the present used mail delivery and receiving apparatus. And there 1s the further advantage that the mail clerk in the car is not obliged to stand at all near the doorway, which is also attended with considerable danger.

Another object of the present invention is that when not set for actual use, the whole apparatus is on the outside of the car. The tray 6, with its fulcrum, is, as stated, 011 a plane with the body of the car and when the door is'shut lies just against and outside of the door. The tray is not capable of being raised farther than perpendicular so that neither end projects beyond the outside of the car. The remainder of the apparatus, that is the actuating devices (5, 6, 7, 11 and 2(3) lying flat against the side of the car, does not project any farther than the old style apparatus.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and ar rangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

What I claim is 1. A mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus for cars comprising a beam j ournaled on the car; a mail bag engaging arm pivotally mounted on said beam; a tr1gger pivotally mounted on the beam for engag- 7 ing with and holding said arm in set position; a crank shaft connected to the end of said beam; a mail bag delivery device movably mounted on the car; a bar slidably mounted on the car; connections bet-ween said bar and said crank shaft and the mail bag delivery device; and means for engag-- ing with and actuating said bar, substantially as described.

2. A mail bag delivering apparatus for cars comprising a tray swingingly mounted on the car; a pair of cleats secured to the side of the car; a bar slidably mounted in said cleats; a lever fulcrumed on the side of the car and pivotally connected to said slidable bar; a chain connecting said lever with said tray; and means on the track for en gaging with and actuating said slidable bar, substantially as described.

3. A mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus for cars comprising a beam journaled on the car; a mail bag engaging device mounted on said beam; a crank arm connected to the end of said beam; a trayswingingly mounted on the car; a bar slidably mounted on the car; a rod connected to said slidable bar; a collar mounted on said rod; an arm connecting said collar with said crank arm; a lever connecting said tray with said slidable bar; and means mounted on the track for engaging with and actuating said bar to swing said beam and tilt said tray, substantially as described.

4:- A. mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus for cars'c'omp'rising a beam having cranked ends journaledton the car, a

crank arm connected to one of said cranked ends; a mail bag engaging device mounted on said beam; a tray swingingly mounted on 1 the car; a bar slidably mounted on the car; a rod connected to said bar; a collar mounted on said rod; an arm connecting said collar and said crank arm; a spring interposed between saidbar and said collar; means for limiting the movements of said collar; a le- 1 ver fulcrumed on the car and connected with 1 i bar, substantially said slidable bar; a connection between said lever and said tray; and a raised track for engaging with and actuating said slidabie as described.

In testimony whereof, I atfix my signa- 15 ture, in presence of two witnesses.

MARION N. GEORGE Vitnesses J. FINN,

J. R. COPELAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

